Gastric Bypass Information
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Gastric Bypass Surgeries and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the absence of breathing
during sleep, is a common, chronic disease associated with obesity.
While obstructive sleep apnea is commonly associated with
obese men, it affects a broad cross-section of the population, including
overweight women and children.
OSA is a disorder that causes the cessation of airflow
through the nose and mouth many times an hour during sleep, which disrupts
the sleep cycle and causes loud snoring. The condition is caused by
airways that collapse due to fatty deposits in the neck or airway tissues.
The usual treatment is the use of a C-PAP (continuous positive airway
pressure) machine, which delivers oxygen during sleep.
Sleep apnea and daytime sleepiness and fatigue may be
related to insulin resistance, which often accompanies obesity. Because
sleep apnea disrupts the normal sleep patterns, patients with this condition
may appear depressed, lethargic, and constantly fatigued. The symptoms
may be initially misdiagnosed, or the individual may be considered "lazy."
Weight loss is the best long-term treatment for fighting
this condition, and doctors will generally suggest that their OSA patients
attempt to lose weight by dieting. Unfortunately, only a few patients
with sleep-related breathing disorders succeed in maintaining their
weight reduction after dieting. One study found that only 3% of patients
with OSA who had a significant improvement in their sleep apnea symptoms
after dieting were able to maintain their weight loss after 5 years.
In fact, many patients regained all the weight they lost and added more.
Because dietary control has not been successful for long-term
treatment of OSA, many doctors are now referring their patients for
gastric bypass procedures if their attempts to lose weight through conventional
means has failed. Gastric bypass and gastric banding surgeries can cure
or control many of the serious diseases that accompany morbid obesity,
and many patients with sleep apnea have received relief following their
surgery. Most gastric bypass patients do not regain their weight, as
dieters often do, so the long-term results tend to be more promising
for those suffering from OSA.
Because sleep apnea is such a common condition among obese
patients of all ages and genders, many obesity clinics require a sleep
study for all patients during the workup for bariatric surgery. If the
condition is found to be present, patients will be asked to be treated
with a C-PAP machine for several months prior to surgery.
Post-gastric bypass patients will be closely monitored
if they continue to use the C-PAP machine, because the increased airway
pressure could risk the integrity of the surgical site. The new smaller
stomach pouch could fill with air at high pressure, causing complications.
Some obesity centers will restrict the use of the machine after surgery
for this reason. Once the patient has lost weight, the symptoms of sleep
apnea will usually go away, and further treatment for the disorder is
no longer needed.
To read first-person accounts from people who have experienced
gastric bypass surgery, click
here.
Note: The information given here should
not be taken as medical advice. Be sure to talk to your doctor
about any concerns you may have about gastric bypass surgery.
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